I’m fuming after I was fined £150 over an unpaid airport drop-off fee – I didn’t even stop my car, it’s so unfair

A DAD was threatened with court action over an unpaid airport drop-off fee when he didn’t even stop his car.

Gary Marshall, 62, was ordered to pay £150 for missing the £5 charge or be hauled in front of a judge.

Gary MarshallGary Marshall is being threatened with court action over an unpaid airport drop-off fee[/caption]

The dad’s red Audi driving through the £5 zone at HeathrowGary Marshall

The coffee shop owner, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said: “It’s called a ‘drop-off fee’ and I would expect to pay it if I’d used it for that purpose, but I didn’t.

“We missed the sign and there was no way to turn back or reverse so I literally had no choice but to drive down the ‘drop-off’ lane.

“The fact you can be taken to court over a split second misjudgement seems very harsh.

“It’s totally unfair and shouldn’t be allowed.”

Gary and his wife were taking their daughter Caitlin, who is studying violin at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, to Heathrow Terminal 5 at about 8am on January 11 last year.

They were looking for the short stay car park but missed the turning and ended up driving through the drop-off zone.

They eventually found the car park, said goodbye to Caitlin, and paid the parking charge.

But months later Gary received a letter from APCOA Parking demanding he cough up £80 for not paying the £5 drop-off fee.

He appealed the fine, arguing he hadn’t intended to use that lane and had not stopped his vehicle, but this was rejected.

In October, he received another letter from Debt Recovery Plus saying he must now pay a £150 penalty or risk court action.

Then, four weeks later, a “last chance” offer was made as legal action was “imminent”.

Have you been caught out by similar rules? Email [email protected]

Gary, who drives a red Audi, said he would never fork out for something he didn’t use and would happily fight the charges in court.

He said: “This was a genuine mistake. I was oblivious to the fact we had broken the rules.

“This is a large fee and involves going to court for something so trivial.

“It could potentially ruin someone’s business, life, or livelihood.

“My daughter’s school is only partly under scholarship and my wife is waiting for a heart transplant so she’s about to lose a lot of her income, so we really don’t need this.”

After being contacted by The Sun, APCOA cancelled Gary’s fine “in good faith”.

A spokesperson added: “We will use this as an opportunity to investigate the case internally as part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.”

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